Surfboards take a while to figure out and sometimes the shapes can surprise you. The marketing for the Appletree Malus Domestica features strapless freestyle pretty heavily which is not really our bag. However on riding the board we were left with a pretty big smile on our face's. This is not the one for the big days. Most days though - when conditions are not exactly epic, this board is a lot of fun.
If you want to tear around and ride aggressively, smashing little waves, then the Malus Domestica is perfect. The parallel rail design makes the board relatively wide so it bombs upwind easily - further enabled by a flat mid section. We were told by Wieger at Appletree to shift the back foot infront of the tail pad while riding upwind, as the rocker at the back of the board is far more exaggerated. Step back onto the tail pad while riding the wave and prepare to rip.
It does not hold the edge and carve as well as other shapes, but it slashes extremely well. Designed to be ridden as a quad, the board rides fast and loose all the time - although perhaps useful as a thruster for more grip in some bigger stuff, surely you'd just grab a board designed to handle those conditions? We wouldn't suggest using a Thruster on the Malus.
This board is perfect for the kind of conditions most of the UK has on offer most of the time. Maybe not if you primarily ride good wave spots - but for what most of us have available to us - this is your everyday weapon of choice.
